Frequently asked questions

Technical Problems
> Charts

The
charts I want to print are too large for the paper. What can I do?

The problem comes from the fact that all web browsers print
only with screen resolution to your printer, making the
images too large and not using the much higher resolution
the printer is capable of.
You can either choose a smaller chart size (please, use
the option "Options for HQ charts" in the Extended
Chart Selection.
Or alternatively, use this easy work-around:
Choose the largest possible online graphics format for your
chart (150%), then click on the image with the RIGHT mouse
button and select 'save image as'. Save it to your local
hard disk under a file name like 'mychart.gif'. Now start
a suitable graphics program on your PC, and open this GIF-file
with it. Use the features of the graphics program to print
it with high resolution to your printer, scaled to the size
of your paper.
The most elegant solution is to subscribe to our high quality
PDF charts.
You can open, save and print these with Acrobat Reader. Just tick
the option "Shrink oversize pages to paper size" in your printer
settings.

How
can I save a chart on my PC?

The chart drawings are temporary GIF files on our server
which exist only for the time you look at them in your browser.
If you would like to save them permanently, you have to
save them on your PC. This cannot be done with your browser
option "Save HTML page", because it only contains
a link to a drawing which has existed only temporarily on
our server, but is not available permanently. To save the
drawing instead of the page, please click on the image with
the right mouse button and select 'save image as...'. Save
it as a .gif file and open it with a graphics programme
on your computer.
The most elegant solution is to subscribe to our high quality
PDF charts.
You can open, save and print these with Acrobat Reader.

The
PDF data sheets come out with black blotches. What has happened?

We deliver screen content. If a file shows correctly on
screen, this is proof that it is OK (if it were not, it
could not be shown by Acrobat).
Printing something which is shown correctly on screen is
a complex process happening exclusively in your computer,
between your browser, Adobe Acrobat Reader, your printer
driver and your printer. If an Acrobat file does not print
correctly, you can expect support from: Adobe (for Acrobat),
Microsoft (for your printer driver), the maker of your printer.
We cannot offer more support on these kinds of technical
questions, because we do not have access to the particular
combination of hardware and software you are using.

All chart images are simple GIF files which can be saved locally on your
computer and printed locally.

Printing is a process happening locally between your browser, your operating
system, your printer driver and your printer.
Please contact the makers of these items if you have problems printing content
shown on your screen. Such problems have nothing to do with Astrodienst's service, and
are not caused or influenced by it.

I can print out charts but the map just comes out blank.

This occurs only with "scalable google maps". You cannot print these due to a policy by Google. But you can work around to get a print. Make a screen shot to a local image file. Then you can print that file.

The simplest way to capture a screen shot (also named screen dump, snapshot or screen capture) is to press the print screen key on the keyboard (cf. "Step by step" below). This takes a screen shot of the full screen and places it into the computer clipboard. Pressing and holding the ALT key while pressing the print screen key will take a screen shot of the active window, instead of the full screen. Once in the clipboard, paste that screen shot into Microsoft Paint or another image editor.

Step by step:

1. Press the Print Screen key on your keyboard. It may be labeled [PrtScn] or [PrintScrn].
2. Open an image editing program, such as Microsoft Paint or Microsoft Photo Editor.
3. Go to the Edit menu and choose Paste.
4. If prompted to enlarge the image, choose Yes or enlarge to 100 %.
5. Optional: Use your image editor's crop tool to crop out unnecessary portions of the screen shot.
6. Go to the File Menu and choose Save As.
7. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the image.
8. Type a file name for the image.
9. Select a file type.
10. Click the Save button.
11. Print the image file.

Microsoft Windows Vista (not home basic) and Windows 7 users can use the Snipping tool to take screen shots in Windows:

1. Click on the Start Menu and start typing "snipping" into the search box.
2. The Snipping Tool should show up in the Programs list above the search box, and you can click on it to start it.
3. The Snipping Tool window will appear on your screen. You may move it to an edge of the screen so it's not in your way, but it will also disappear when you start dragging a selection area.
4. The Snipping Tool assumes you want to create a new clipping as soon as you open it. Your screen will dim, and you can click and drag your cursor to select an area to copy. As you drag, the selected area will be darker, and surrounded by a red border if you've never changed the Snipping Tool options.
5. When you release the mouse button, the captured area will open in the Snipping Tool window. If you're not happy with the selection and need to try again, click the "New" button.
6. When you are happy with your clipping, press the second button to save the screen shot as an image file.
7. Now you can print the file.

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